A Grand Corral for Cowboys Fans

By

Mark Yost

Updated Sept. 9, 2009 10:37 a.m. ET

Arlington, Texas

Frank Gehry said that ­"architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness." The new Cowboys Stadium does both.

At three million square feet and seating for up to 100,000 people, it is the largest ­air-conditioned room in the world. But more important than its sheer size is the building's overwhelming architectural presence, which is palpable from the moment you see it looming on the horizon. The main structural support beams, which each span a quarter mile from end to end, and the reflective glass ­façade help project the institutional swagger of a franchise that hasn't made it past the wild-card playoff in more than a decade but still calls itself "America's team."

ENLARGE

Every new era begins with a game-changing idea.
Associated Press

In short, the building is simply mesmerizing. So much so that on the morning of the Cowboys' Aug. 29 preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, I sat in the parking lot for a full half hour, sipping my coffee, and just stared at it.

While the Dallas-based HKS architecture firm may be named on the building plans, it's clear that the real lead architect here is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. He deserves credit not only for the stadium's bold persona, but for how he paid for it. An oil-and-gas billionaire who was ­co-captain of Arkansas's 1964 ­national championship football team, Mr. Jones financed the $1.2 billion price tag mostly by going to the credit markets, just like every other highly profitable private business is expected to do. He did get $300 million from the city of Arlington, but in an era when taxpayers are expected to pick up most—if not all—of a stadium's cost, this was a ­bargain.

That Mr. Jones paid for most of it himself shouldn't surprise anyone. He is one of the NFL's savviest and most innovative owners. He was the first to figure out that while the NFL had a national soft-drink contract with Pepsi, the revenues from which are shared equally among the NFL's 32 teams, there was no reason he couldn't sell stadium pouring rights to Dr. Pepper, money he got to keep. This is why the Cowboys are the NFL's richest franchise with an estimated market value of $1.6 ­billion.

"We could have built this stadium for $800 million," Mr. Jones told me in an interview. "But we wanted all the bells and whistles. We wanted this stadium to have a 'wow factor.'"

It certainly has that.

Once inside, what strikes you most is the open design. It really is one big room. And while much of the media focus has been on the suites that carry a $150,000 one-time license fee, the Cowboys also offer a $29 standing-room-only ticket that wasn't a last-minute response to the current economic doldrums. The railings around the lower bowl have small countertops, and the extra-wide open stairways were designed for standing fans. They offer great views and, for the price, are not a bad place to watch the game. The night I was here, fans were stacked 10 deep at the railings.

Having said that, it's clear that the primary focus of this stadium is luxury, including five levels of suites and clubs. The most innovative are the field-level suites. Think of a baseball dugout turned into a suite. Tucked under the lower bowl of seating, each has a small open-air patio that extends out and is just 10 yards from the sidelines. The view isn't great during the game, but a private staircase leads up to the first two rows of stadium seats, which are ­reserved for these fans to sit and watch the game.

There are also field-level clubs behind each bench. Running through the middle of each is a roped-off walkway that the players take onto the field. So as the Cowboys and 49ers were ­being introduced before the game I attended, these fans could literally reach out and high-five the players as they ran by.

Of course, access like this comes at a price. The club-level seats carry a one-time personal seat license of up to $50,000, and a season ticket costs $3,400. If you don't have the cash on hand, the Cowboys will be happy to finance it for you at 8.5%.

A Kobe beef burger is $13; a Shiner Bock beer, $9.50. There's even commissioned artwork, including "The Coin Toss," a wire sculpture that captures the ­dynamic motion of the NFL ceremony. "We wanted to transcend the blocking and tackling images that you see in most stadiums," Mr. Jones said.

Then there's the $40 million video scoreboard. The largest in sports at more than 25,000 square feet, it has 36 million LEDs and stretches from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. It's been in the news since punters have gone out of their way in warm-ups to try and hit it. The NFL ­recently ruled that the scoreboard, which is 10 feet above the minimum height required by the league, can stay put for now.

The controversy is really much ado about nothing. I ­believe that 40 years from now, when critics look back on this stadium and its impact on the NFL revenue model and stadiums yet to be built, Cowboys Stadium will be seen as monumental—the 21st-century equivalent of the opening of Yankee Stadium in 1923.

—Mr. Yost is a writer in Chicago. His latest book, "Varsity Green," about the business and culture of college sports, is due out in December from Stanford University Press.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.